Farnham | Season 2 Episode 1 | Full Episode | Grand Designs UK

[@TheRealAbuFatima]

The best thing Helen achieved here was her new found detachment to material things. A lesson delivered to her through the innocent play of children. Wonderful.

[@andreaandrea6716]

I love the husband and his relaxed attitude. What a lovely man! I admire this woman's vision, her attention to detail and her drive.

[@uroboros162]

Happy wife, happy life!

[@michaeld5888]

The less self awareness in the Grand Designer the more the fun for the viewer. This is one of my favourites. I do still respect these people even then as they do manage to get some marvelous creations up whilst the rest of sit back and gawp but really lacking the courage to embark on these grand adventures. Kevin McCloud is an impeccable host to the series with amusing sarcasm but an underlying empathy and concern showing through to balance this.

[@rawdonwaller]

Well said. However, I'm not convinced Helen is NOT self-aware. She could very well be hyper-vigilant in her awareness of herself.

[@tuforu4]

​@@rawdonwalleryou have ruined my viewing..

[@benjaminpaul5449]

This it the one I always hoped there would be a revisited episode for

[@jujunita12345]

omg same

[@Nikforallthesereasons]

Same

[@aks8823]

After watching this series for many seasons, I have noted (IMHO) that many of the owner/builders have full-blown personality disorders!

[@kevinchomyshyn523]

Definitely-yet clever.

[@1_aiartist_1001effects]

lol..

[@rossisaacs541]

You definitely haven’t built your own house then.

[@KarynaNationArt]

I agree!

[@gracenjuguna7292]

🤣🤣

[@paulsheridan1]

If ever there was a "Grand Design"... this was it! Only Helen's huge ambition, and around-the-clock work ethic made it happen, whilst balancing all her other many responsibilities. A true self-builder/designer/planner/project manager, and more, on an epic scale. I sincerely hope Mark and Helen enjoyed the pleasures of living in their rather large house, for many, many years.

[@andreaandrea6716]

Yes!!! Me too.

[@mandofan2616]

How did it end?

[@iromulus33]

@@mandofan2616 knife fight.

[@jeffreynemitz8060]

having worked my entire career as a draftsman in the Architectural field. I have seen a lot of "grand designs" that in the end were less than "grand". throwing money at a build doesn't mean you'll end up with what you had in mind.

[@woutkoopman]

That's literally the process of building a house. You throw money at the build and then you get a house in return.

[@Harrylechat01]

I hope they've been able to enjoy this house as a home. One thing's for sure, it will have increased in value by enough to keep them and their family in comfort for the rest of their days if they do still own it, and good luck to them. I'll probably never own a house like this but I like knowing that such a degree of skill and passion still exists.

[@mrdeafa25]

I did the same thing only backwards. My house is a 20 room Regency Mansion which I converted and restored from its latter use as a care home turning it back into a new house within an old house in effect. There were some interesting points raised in this story, most of which related to the very bendy budget. As soon as she said, in the early stages, that the architect had resigned I knew she was in trouble, architects just don't walk away from a job of this scale (or any scale) unless the client is unmanageable as this one surely is. Very quickly she was £150k over budget, think about that insane amount for a second or two and imagine her husbands thoughts on the issue. To him she must look like Elizabeth Hurley and have the style of Coco Chanel because he seems to be happy for her to do literally anything on this project without any fallout from him. When she later described their bedroom as 'her' bedroom, not once but twice, and complained she would have to share a dressing room with her husband, I think I was getting the truer picture of their relationship. I struggle to understand why she was consistently 'working through the night' and taking day trips to London to check out 'ironmongery' when all of this would have been agreed months previously with a competent architect in any other building project. For my build I was fully prepared and budget increases were countered by savings made on careful procurement but then again its not my first rodeo. Overall it looked as though the lady bit off much more than she could chew and underestimated the input of the architect and main contractor and this is what killed her budget. After all, why pay an expert for advice and opinion if you then blatantly disregard their expertise. If they have'nt subsequently divorced I would be amazed. PS If you could build a house for less than £1m and its value immediately increased to £8.5m we would all be doing it. Hope it all turned out OK in the end.

[@mmerriman4995]

Wow! This woman and what SHE deserves! HER bedroom.... These are all grand designs but what some are willing to ask/demand of others in their life can be just stunning. I hope the husband didn't get stuck with this debt.

[@paulmaryon9088]

Oh my gosh, what a nightmare client that woman must have been , no wonder the architect walked away

[@drrydog]

I would have resigned much much sooner

[@colincranstone8027]

Ewshott plant is my brothers company, the architects were the pain, they thought it was there house not the clients

[@michaels7433]

If you look up company records you can see that Mark had the property listed as his address until 2011. Company records show Helen's surname change in 2011 and she continues to live at that address. I take from that they probably split and Helen continues to live in the property.

[@jamesbensley7914]

Yer you can imagine the poor sod living in a bedsit paying the mortgage whilst her lady lives it up.

[@SalisburyKarateClub]

would have liked to have seen the finished house

[@MasterChief37]

This is one property I would have really liked Kevin to revisit. I would love to see the end result.

[@KarynaNationArt]

poor kids would’ve suffered the most. They just would’ve missed their mums attention they didn’t need such a big house.

[@slowdivebreeze1]

I imagine that this didn't work out as there hasn't been a revisit

[@87minicooper]

O wow, this is actually one of my favourite ones! Already years ago I looked up how they went on afterwards, there was a blog including the address, but now I can’t find it anymore. It’s a huge undertaking. Such a vast building project! Respect for the dedication.

[@andreaandrea6716]

Did they succeed? Did they live in it when it was done?? Such a huge labour of love and determination! Do you remember?

[@laurimas8845]

Well. The interesting part is that she learned in the process. She was able to redefine her values. I agree with a lot of folks that she seems, in the beginning, to be suffering from compulsion and grandiosity. By the end she understood that what she had done was foolish. I hope they were able to sell it, probably half-finished, to satisfy the banks. We'd call what she built a "MacMansion" here in the US. A nicely designed one, to be sure, but same impulse, same wishes, and very similar results.

[@kismet2354]

An amazing woman indeed! Focused & strong. This home is not a folly. It’s an investment in quality, & should they decide to sell it, they’d more then recoup their initial outlay. I, for one, am exceedingly proud of her!

[@sophiemitchell2545]

Would love to see the end result and the value of it now

[@andreaandrea6716]

No kidding!!

[@izco809]

I would like transitions to portugueses because I live in south of Brazil. I love see Grand Designs!

[@landsea7332]

28:41 Beware of the different quality in slate . Welsh slate is very high quality and very thin . .

[@darylwilliams7883]

One of the things I enjoy about this series is that it sometimes showcases how ridiculous people's demands and expectations can be, and how often people trip themselves up wanting things that just plain are NOT necessary. In this case what's really interesting is how this woman came to learn a harsh lesson.

[@andreaandrea6716]

Excuse me... WHAT was unnecessary? Interestingly, I think that if it were a man expressing what Helen is expressing, YOU might not be as harsh in your judgement of her standards.

[@darylwilliams7883]

@@andreaandrea6716 What? It has nothing to do with gender. This is a couple that is ruining themselves financially over the dream of having a pompous mansion that is five times the size needed for a family of four. That they never had sufficient budget to build in the first place, and surprise surprise, they were unable to complete the grandiose project by the time the film crew had to move on.

[@birdolla4441]

It's an ongoing lesson, still lots still to do and wait till the heating bill hits without any insulated glass in all those windows

[@birdolla4441]

@@andreaandrea6716 Male or female some very bad choices made here. Don't turn this into a gender issue

[@andreaandrea6716]

@@birdolla4441 She had estimates on everything. She based her decisions and choices on the figures given. SHE was not at fault. Faulty estimates WERE. I also think that our biases are often unconscious. I recently experienced discrimination. I thought I knew what that was like ... until it happened to me. It was painful and frustrating, but in the end, it was a very good lesson on how I think I know something which I've not actually experienced.

[@sallysanders8244]

I love this ladies joy and enthusiasm it was nice to have a women and see how different she was as she gets so much joy from what hers dreams and the inside. In most the women stand by and the men are the drivers. interesting in the difference.

[@Flowergardengirls]

this show is great!

[@kevinchomyshyn523]

Thoroughly engaged in this build- Did it ever get finished, or did they sell it on ?

[@landsea7332]

Looking on line , 11A Compton Way , Farnham , the house looks to be completed .

[@pauljames9393]

You can actually buy a £4,000,000 property dated from the 1700s close to this area set within 10acres in 2022. - Mill House Homes is a classic company in suffolk which can meet all your needs if you want a new build. Due to Helen and her drive for this project I couldnt see it happening but thankfully it did . As for Mark it seems he goes with the flow and probably has to "pull the plug" on things. --- I wonder where they are today?

[@dmisso42]

Showing that there was never, and never will be, a shortage of people with selfishly unrealistic and environmentally destructive delusions of grandeur.

[@aks8823]

can you say "Narcississt" ????

[@tuforu4]

Trying to be a ROYAL i guess.

[@mycameraview]

No 4-member family needs such a big house…

[@David_in_Thailand]

The foundations were no way 5 feet deep but I can't believe there was zero steel reinforcement used.

[@andreaandrea6716]

Helen is AMAZING! They'll be able to pay off their mortgage when she gets a job as a contractor/site manager! She's got what it takes! I would hire her to oversee my house! She has a real passion for the crafts and SEES what others don't.

[@dmisso42]

The main attraction of those Georgian Houses was the lofty ceilings (3.6 m (12ft) or more). Without that, this is just a Developer's Pastiche. Don't think she got that. When I started Architecture in the mid-60s, a project did not go ahead without a Quantity Surveyor's Bill of Quantities. Any discrepancies were the Q.S.s responsibility. The Architect was at the top of the responsibility pyramid. In the mid-70's all responsibilities changed. Architects were relegated to Picture Drawers, and the QS and the Structural Engineer were answerable to a Project Manager (essentially a Bean Counter). The ones to profit from these changes were the Developers who were able to divest themselves of any responsibility while milking projects for profit. Now, if things look like they might not make the profits, or might get sticky, they simply close shop, declare bankruptcy and start another company. Her enthusiasm and ambitions are admirable but she STILL needs an Architect - someone who has studied the process and the History of Building. and Style.

[@franct.thomas3326]

I wonder what happened to the house and how it looks today? - Does anybody know?

[@RD9_Designs]

I really wish they wouldn't even make the program if the house isn't going to be finished at the end!

[@Trixtah]

They would have a shooting schedule based around when the property was going to be finished. That's many, many hours of camera and sound and miscellaneous crew, production and so on that they can't just throw down the gurgler when it comes to getting the series ready for broadcast. They promised 10 episodes (or whatever) by X date when the series was commissioned. They need to have those episodes ready to broadcast at the scheduled date, end of.

[@RD9_Designs]

@@Trixtah That's a very well thought out and informative reply. You must have either experience in this department, or be a self-taught armchair sponge like me.... I understand what may have led them to publish an episode such as this, but it's still anticlimactic and frustrating when you invest your time into watching, and then theres no finished product at the end. However, Thanks for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate that!

[@tuforu4]

She would be nice ACTRESS ..

[@lzappa9109]

Some people are wise and some people are otherwise!

[@alanmooney]

Hi Kevin, did Helen have to sell the house before she could enjoy it

[@David-sb7vg]

I wondered about so many things watching this. Ultimately I felt very sorry for her, maybe for all the wrong reasons. Sad!

[@kattihatt]

Delusions of grandeur.

[@minimax34]

Please upload all your past episodes!

[@landsea7332]

9:47 If just one resource is missing from a project , this usually brings the entire project to a stop . .

[@nemo227]

I've watched a bunch of the Grand Design videos. There was even a build that Kevin was involved as a principal and . . . whoops, something about not being able to enter from the rear door because of the way the locks or latches or something was planned/built. Come to think of it, my home (here in California) can't be unlocked from the back door . . .

[@mihiridesilva5023]

My bedroom, my bed….everything all about her …

[@brianduffy1338]

Have yet to watch but the 'wish' seems just excessive. Who needs this? [Follow-Up: I did watch it all and I still find it excessive and unrealistic to the financial situation of this couple. Drive and tenacity and ambition are all well and fine (and she has these for sure) but I think she (initially) thought building this would bring that which fulfills on deeper levels. What is most admirable about this woman is what she shared at the end of what she has learned through this process. Such a self-honest moment and realization.]

[@suspensiondude]

Is there a follow-up to this episode? Feel free to send me the link 👍

[@laurelsternberg5861]

So were this lovely couple able to finish and inhabit their dream home? Where can we see more?

[@janetcormack923]

I thought it was interesting that the foundations were poured with nothing sticking out of them, rebar or whatever, to attach to the walls. Maybe that is just what we have to do here in earthquake country.

[@pedropig]

We don’t tend to do that in the Uk as far as I’m aware. There will only be a few courses of blocks before a damp proof barrier is put in, and nothing structurally can cross that barrier - so the rebar would only be connected to a few blocks.

[@michaeld5888]

Until the rebar rusts away. Seems safer to design for stability without it.

[@frankwielemaker9609]

@@michaeld5888 Rebar doesn't rust if covered with concrete

[@Trixtah]

@@frankwielemaker9609 Yes it does. Concrete spalling from rusting rebar is the most common form of failure. In fact, here's Practical Engineering with an entire video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hn2pYmt-bq96ftU

[@andreaandrea6716]

Brava Helen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@gusdario8781]

That lady is really bonkers

[@jonmarston4166]

I love lentils🎉

[@malikmarikar9135]

Not 2b weigh downed by ur possessions...👌❤

[@Dub1978]

She is not building a home she is building an image

[@paulkamara281]

Whatever happened to Mark and Helen?...............P

[@paulkamara281]

Anybody?......Absolutely fascinating episode.........P

[@dominicnaughton6716]

I knew prime Minister John Major had a second job....as a glazier...32:47

[@BobbyJett1]

Run!!

[@scouseaussie1638]

This woman is exhausting

[@djb4069]

I feel sorry for her poor husband being married to her, because nothing would be good enough!!!

[@webg03]

not a fair comment, he seems happy enough, she wants a lot but worked hard for it at least

[@julieasselstine4787]

After a while in following this show, I realized that it's not just the interesting building projects, but the most poignant and touching part of each episode is the 'people's behind each project. Love the show.

[@abubakarsadiq7994]

Wow such Vision this Woman

[@jamesbowie6925]

Ultimate ego trip😊

[@1_aiartist_1001effects]

is Helen become crazy???..

[@dmisso42]

[@roberte5057]

I reckon she is brilliant. Hope the architects had to pay.

[@1_aiartist_1001effects]

why they need such a big house.. omg..

[@michaelfraser5723]

Femme fatale in white, let's just call her the white widow. The money was always safe; as safe as houses.

[@michaelfraser5723]

" BLOOD RED "

[@mattneillninasmom]

I'm at 18:43 and cannot continue watching due to the woman's overbearing attitude and flat out arrogance.

[@noproblem2big337]

I haven't seen a foundation without any steel reinforcement before...wondering how this build is holding together after 20 years or so🤔

[@teresamexico309]

I have seen a few other projects doing the foundation without steel reinforcement as well and not reinforcing steel bars in the corner of walls either. I live in a nonsismic area and builders always do both on any construction.

[@tuforu4]

I learnt about steel in foudation when i was 6 yr old.

[@teresamexico309]

@@tuforu4Did it help to grow up? :)

[@tuforu4]

@@teresamexico309 i had dropped 6" solid concrete block on my BIG little toe and still feel pain 65 yrs later. At least i got a day off school..

[@teresamexico309]

@@tuforu4:)

[@scoobydoo5447]

Notice how you don’t see the interview with him and her together? The divorce filings will commence shortly if not already.

[@danielstockley5631]

Looks like a case of champagne tastes on beer wages.

[@svietka202]

I don’t get it….it’s a frigin mansion and I don’t get it, who needs it

[@numbereightyseven]

Those are unhealthy levels of naivety, grandiosity, and entitlement. And low self-respect to march that blindly straight into such a stressful life.

[@07laines07]

You are using the word “entitlement” in correctly. Entitlement refers to an individual who has nothing and has an expectation of having everything and giving nothing for it. The woman in this video busted her backside for her dream of this house and she and her husband are paying for it. To receive large gains you have to take big risks. When you want to judge others and your jealousy rears it’s ugly head you might want to check the dictionary first so you don’t give others the impression that you are lazy and foolish, as well as ignorant.

[@paddypoolfc3579]

Ouch!

[@tuforu4]

Helen sounds like JORDAN.

[@ouiouane8311]

@@07laines07 You spelled "incorrectly" wrong.

[@tuforu4]

If she lived in that house she would never look out the windows.

[@pedropig]

It’s a fabulous place, but a dinosaur. The practicalities of it are from a bygone era. They obviously have busy lives, and would need several housekeepers to keep the place clean and the fires burning. Sitting in bed with the family, reading the paper is a lovely notion, but loses its romance when a housekeeper starts has to come in to light the fire in the dressing room!

[@shanejb2121]

Exactly my thinking watching this the first time around. Even moreso now. How much she must be regretting some of the old world features in a post Covid/Ukraine world with energy costs as they are, not to mention the practicality of using materials that require enormous amounts of finances to maintain. It's one thing to have an idealistic dream, but modern realities have forced most builders to compromise somewhat.

[@lorrainestinnett4145]

WOW shes acting like its all about her. She keeps referring to the rooms as her rooms then correcting herself to say ours like she has to. Remember its a family home with a husband and kids shes being selfish

[@andreaandrea6716]

Uh-oh! Cement render doesn't breathe, holds damp INSIDE the walls and cracks with extremes in temperature. THAT's not good! What is wrong with the bloody architect that he DOESN'T KNOW THIS??? Or DOES he and....???

[@ET.phonehome]

WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!

[@susangarland6869]

Helen clearly doesn't know what she wants. Her ego likes the grandeur of a Georgian mansion (did you notice her fur coat at the beginning of the video?), but she has no understanding of the time or money that it will take to get there. She's petulant and complaining and has a generally lousy attitude, which has caused three different architects to quit. Even Kevin questions her rationale when she drags him 100 miles out of the way to show him another house, which she says she does quite often. Why is she looking at other houses when she's building her own? And her husband is clearly not enthusiastic. He is conspicuously absent almost the entire time, and is obviously detached the couple of times he does make an appearance. Probably because he's having to work 70 hour weeks to finance her stupidity.

[@vytautaskl6495]

Супер

[@farnswor]

Is she wearing a mink coat? How things have changed...

[@ouiouane8311]

Yeah- that says more about HER than the times. This was around 1999 and furs weren't terribly acceptable even then. Thank goodness. (Showing off for the cameras and Kevin?)

[@franceswilliams2421]

Sadly can’t watch this episode, fur coat put me off

[@BuildingservicesDublin]

like most of the women, i know they hit a hurdle the same saying i wouldn't do this again not worth the stress what the fuck do you think it takes to follow through with these projects they never go according to plan because although you know what you want and need the useless bastards that you trust to get it done don't give a toss its not their dream and they drain you but that's every big under budget project

[@nadaclontz3870]

Every time this lady speaks, I think my KZbin just switched to double speed. 😂 Extremely hard to understand.

[@waynebrown6650]

what a load of rubbish the previous comments are. This woman has champagne ideas with ale money. Poor husband, but i can see how he was so easily trapped by this one. the people who buy this from them will have champagne money and will know they've run out of money so as a seller they will be in a weak position. lucky to break even, very lucky.

[@IrmaClaeys24]

Beautiful dream home last century for sure. Impractical, overwhelming structure, massive expense to build to leave half way... and was it worth the stress, finances, almost to put everything on the line for a brick and mortar structure?. I believe in having dreams...just more realistic ones that will come to fruition before putting you underground... Extremely pretentious.

[@kszaczyszcz]

This looks like a nightmare from Sims

[@richardwebb2348]

Obsessive self aggrandizement - a profligate ostentatious build which, according to the seriously deluded mother, resulted in the needs of the children being neglected, and a huge mortgage! Maybe a smaller house supervised by an architect would have been a better idea!!! Dunning-Kruger springs to mind on this and numerous other Grand Designs over the years. I wonder, was it ever completed, and did they stay married?

[@HolographicSweater]

it’s so interesting that in British culture the woman is considered the head of the household

[@richardwebb2348]

The design of the cornice and roof shows a lack of understanding of late Georgian architecture despite there being innumerable original examples to copy.

[@podgeboss]

Why not time stamp episodes 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[@dcat6093]

Uncomfortable to watch. A long tunnel with the light of an oncoming train. She speaks really quickly.

[@maccoll3644]

Classic bi-polar disorder, but still a very capable woman!

[@drrydog]

definitely smart, and 100% bipolar spoiled brat

[@tuforu4]

I use to lots of construction she is i dunno what type of BRAIN she has. A social climber. Etc

[@tuforu4]

rEES MOOG.

[@giraffebecky]

Kevin ALWAYS interrupts people as they’re talking (or answering his questions)! It’s terrible! I still like him! He just needs (needED) to work on that! 29:42

[@troismoutonsetuntigre5988]

how do people have so much money?

[@meowsha]

They get an education and they work 😅

[@MrMarkhall1]

The house looks miserable, depressing.

[@uroboros162]

Being a trophy wife is hard

[@kathleenanderson5769]

Maybe she should work hard for 10-20 years to build up savings and a good credit rating. That would be a great help to hubby. Then they can revisit their big dream home build, when they are in a more secure place financially. Too many people in this day and age just “want it all right now, the million dollar McMansion. Reality check please!!!

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

Big financial saving not carrying the architect throughout construction? 🌏🇦🇺

[@jamescunningham1973]

This lady could run a small country in her sleep,shame we dont get to see the end product

[@nolawilson2008]

as soon as she opened her mouth in that enormous fur coat I was gone ...can,t stand these sort of women ...spoilt ...entitled ...poor man ...this is old anyway ...from Australia

[@mudboy3582]

They didn't come across that wealthy. Bank managers best friend.

[@drrydog]

@@mudboy3582 fake wannabe wealthy. Is her style

[@michaelwebb9939]

obnoxious woman

[@snowedman2993]

The bank will give more money two her because she seems to have more money under her bed

[@giraffebecky]

I cannot stand this woman… poor husband… Champagne taste…